In the wizard hot springs, Daniel and Locke each soaked in a separate spring pool. Special herbs had been added to the springs, giving them a particular fragrance. The spring water constantly moisturized their skin and strengthened their bones.

These herbs had powerful purification and stamina restoration effects.

This wizard hot spring was jointly operated by potion masters and earth wizards. The potion masters were responsible for the herbs, while the earth wizards were responsible for finding earth energy convergence points, guiding underground water veins, and artificially creating hot springs.

Wizard Daniel exhaled a breath of turbid air. "Locke, before coming to Golden Crown Mountain in Cloud Marsh Wetland, I never imagined a wizard could live like this. Everything is so convenient, everything is so cutting-edge."

"Truly worthy of being the Three Marsh Lands."

"Among the fifty-three wizard lands in the Eastern Border Zone, besides the Star Domain Sea, the Three Marsh Lands is one of the most prosperous wizard regions. I heard that in the Eastern Border Zone, only Dragon Fall Land, Twilight Border, Southern Witch Capital, Four Brightness Waters, and Central Witch Plains can compare with the prosperity of the Three Marsh Lands."

"Of course, the greatest advantage of the Three Marsh Lands is that the three wizard lands are connected into one entity through Cloud Lake, making it even more prosperous than other wizard lands of the same level."

Wizard Daniel said contentedly while soaking in the wizard hot spring.

Locke nodded. Only after reading articles these past few days did he learn that the Eastern Border Zone alone had fifty-three wizard lands total.

Among these fifty-three wizard lands, the Star Domain Sea was the most prosperous, the strongest wizard land in the Eastern Border Zone, and also the core area.

But the Three Marsh Lands was very close to the Star Domain Sea, and was also one of the core wizard regions among the various major wizard lands of the Eastern Border Zone. Wizards from other wizard lands were continuously coming here.

Among these fifty-three wizard lands, he had personally experienced only two wizard lands. The wizard world he had contacted was merely the tip of the iceberg of the Eastern Border Zone's wizard world.

But regardless, now that he was already in one of the Eastern Border Zone's core wizard regions, Cloud Marsh Wetland, the world he could see would naturally become much broader.

This was Locke's first time hearing about Four Brightness Waters, Southern Witch Capital, and Central Witch Plains. And from the sound of it, these three wizard lands seemed quite impressive.

So Locke asked Wizard Daniel about these three wizard lands.

He had heard of Twilight Border and Dragon Fall Land before, and had even dealt with wizards from those wizard lands.

Wizard Daniel soaked in the hot spring, spreading his hands. "I'm not very clear on the specifics either. Four Brightness Waters' oceanography school, Evocation School, and psionic school magic are very famous, especially the psionic school. It's much more formidable than our Fission Mausoleum Plains' psionic school magic."

"Many psionic school wizards from Four Brightness Waters have even proposed many shocking viewpoints. I once read an article by a Second Circle wizard from Four Brightness Waters. He believed that everything in the world could be changed by a wizard's inner heart, so all things are determined by one's own inner heart."

"The world one experiences is what the world is like. For example, if one experiences the world as beautiful, then the world is beautiful. If it's ugly, then it's ugly. All things change with his heart. If all things don't change, it's because his heart has changed."

"So there's no need to change the world, only change one's inner heart, and the world will change accordingly. Then, he further proposed a psionic hypothesis, that the entire world has only him as one person, and other wizards don't exist."

Locke listened with a bewildered expression. Thinking that Daniel himself was also an aphorist from the psionic school, he cautiously asked, "That's allowed?"

Wizard Daniel smiled. "Four Brightness Waters is the most developed region for the psionic school. The branches of the psionic school are countless, and psionic school wizards easily fall into the category of idealism, so such problems easily arise."

Wizard Daniel hesitated. "Moreover, that was an article by a Second Circle wizard, so I'm not qualified to judge right or wrong. Psionic school articles themselves need to be read very cautiously. If one is led astray by them, the person who wrote the article doesn't matter, but we would be in trouble."

Wizard Daniel said, "Even in my original Painted Green Mountain Religious Order wizard academy, there were many psionic practitioners immersed in their own worlds, constantly researching themselves... no longer paying attention to the outside world, ultimately completely refusing to communicate with the outside world. Some wizards even..."

Wizard Daniel's expression became serious. "This is probably a difficult challenge for us psionic school wizards. Some psionic practitioners directly choose to escape their bodies and souls into their own psyches, hiding themselves, and remain latent there for life, constantly researching, never coming out again."

"For the person himself it's not bad, but for external observers, that is, other people, he has fallen into his own psyche. You could say this person no longer exists. Anyway, once he hides everything about himself within his psyche, we as external observers can no longer find him."

Locke nodded thoughtfully. "The main research scope of psionic school magic is indeed one's own psyche. It's certainly easy to fall into such situations."

Locke looked at Wizard Daniel and said, "No wonder you like researching meteorology. Compared to psionics, meteorology is indeed more material, more external. Researching meteorology can probably help you put part of your attention back on the real world."

Wizard Daniel froze for a moment, looked at Locke and said, "That's exactly right. Locke, your reaction... is very sharp. You actually guessed why I like meteorology."

Wizard Daniel said, "I know very little about Southern Witch Capital and Central Witch Plains."

Wizard Daniel soaked in the hot spring and asked, "By the way, Locke, I haven't asked you yet. Why did you come to Golden Crown Mountain? Just to obtain resources and explore a broader world?"

Locke nodded and said frankly, "Yes, isn't that enough? What about you?"

Wizard Daniel smiled. "Enough, it's indeed enough. You're truly a pure person. Pure people can always determine their goals and work hard for their goals."

"I'm somewhat envious that you can be so pure."

"I'm different from you. I have many thoughts. Pursuing my ideals is only one of them. Another is that I want to learn Cloud Marsh Wetland's profound meteorology knowledge here, then bring this knowledge back to my hometown, Fission Mausoleum Plains. Although it's just an ordinary small wizard land, it's my hometown. At least to me personally it's very special."

Wizard Daniel said, "So I really want to bring truly advanced theories back, and with such feelings, I came to Golden Crown Mountain."

Locke nodded. "I see. You're an idealist with sentiment. That's good. I just want to go to the Star Domain Sea and explore more things."

In the hot spring, Wizard Daniel looked at Locke with surprise, then said, "Star Domain Sea?"

Wizard Daniel smiled and shook his head. "I really don't want to be called an idealist by someone like you. If you call me an idealist, I'd say between the two of us, you're more like an idealist."

"At most I only dare to think about coming to the Three Marsh Lands, but you want to go even further. Honestly, between the two of us, you who want to go to the Star Domain Sea are more like an idealist."

"That's the Star Domain Sea. There are too many super geniuses there, countless, as numerous as the stars in the sky, which is why people call it the Star Domain Sea! That's one of the civilization centers of our wizard world! I'm already very satisfied being able to study in Cloud Marsh Wetland. I wouldn't dare think about the Star Domain Sea."

Wizard Daniel thought for a moment. "But if you really want to go to the Star Domain Sea, this Advanced Origin Academy is indeed the most suitable springboard."

"Moreover, in that case, for others, obtaining two of the three major projects within the Advanced Origin Academy is enough, but if your goal is the Star Domain Sea, then that special-class funding project, you absolutely must obtain it."

Daniel thought deeply. "I've looked up the list of those who obtained the special-class funding project before. Only four people obtained it in five years. In other words, you and all those wizards who want to obtain the special-class funding project are potential competitors."

Daniel raised both hands toward Locke. "However, I'm not your competitor. I have no hope for that special-class funding project. As long as I can obtain the Origin Academy fund project and a sub-project of my supervisor's key single-topic project, obtaining these two projects, I'll already be completely satisfied, and I can obtain a graduation certificate."

Locke nodded slightly. "That's good. People have different aspirations."

Daniel stared at Locke. "I really didn't expect your ambition to be so great."

"But Locke, I'll give you sincere advice. You'd better not tell anyone else in this Origin Academy that you want to go to the Star Domain Sea."

Wizard Daniel paused and said in a low voice, "I mean well. This will reduce a lot of trouble for you. There are many people here like you who want to go to the Star Domain Sea, but either can't go, or fled back from the Star Domain Sea in panic, or don't dare to go. These people were wronged at the Star Domain Sea. If you say you want to go to the Star Domain Sea, they might transfer that resentment onto you."

"Furthermore, neither of us has made any reputation in this Advanced Origin Academy yet. Currently our point rankings are still at the bottom, so it's better not to make ourselves conspicuous targets."

Locke nodded, knowing that Wizard Daniel was kind-hearted and sincere. This suggestion was actually very useful for him.

"I understand."

"I..."

Locke looked at his left hand with surprise. On the ring finger of his left hand was the three-leaf lucky grass ring that Witch Sophia had given him. However, at this moment, the magical pressure from the grass ring... had completely changed.

The magical pressure suddenly increased dramatically in an instant, then whether it was the nature or the total amount of magical pressure, it suddenly rose several levels.

Locke felt the magical pressure transmitted from the grass ring. "Teacher has actually broken through to Second Circle."

"I knew it. Not only has the gap between her and me not narrowed, it's widening. Teacher's progress speed is too fast."

Locke raised his eyebrows. This was what a true genius was.

...

Star Domain Sea, in the laboratory of the four-circle wizard Star Sea Scholar, Sophia's Second Circle senior brother applauded and welcomed Witch Sophia as she walked out of the planar gate.

After sensing that Witch Sophia's magical pressure was now a level higher than his current level, he immediately showed a bitter smile. "Sophia, you're the most talented witch I've seen in the Star Domain Sea."

"No matter what you do, you complete it so quickly. But I didn't expect that just after breaking through to become a Second Circle wizard, your separation degree from Grand Magic would become so low."

Witch Sophia said modestly, "Senior brother, there are countless geniuses in the Star Domain Sea. What can I amount to?"

"I just noticed the separation degree between Grand Magic and me when I broke through, and found a method to reduce the separation degree."

"So, is the progress of Second Circle wizards about reducing the separation degree?"

The Second Circle wizard senior brother's eyes lit up with joy. He was about to explain, but Witch Sophia shook her head on her own. "No, it's impossible to strengthen oneself by reducing the separation degree. To complete the second soul limit breakthrough, wizards obtained a magic source. Separation was to break through the limit, so naturally reducing separation can't strengthen oneself."

"So the correct approach is to strengthen the connection between me and the magic source. By strengthening this connection, indirectly reduce the separation degree, ultimately making this power completely belong to myself."

Sophia fell into deep thought, because there were two difficulties in this thinking. First was how to strengthen this connection.

What was the method, and what would the manifestation be?

The second was the final outcome. Was it really to make the magic source completely belong to oneself?

The Second Circle wizard senior brother smiled bitterly. "No wonder our mentor likes you so much, Sophia. I've never seen a witch with such talent. You're like the incarnation of magic itself. Others are children of elements, but you're a child of magic."

"You've figured out the key so quickly. But do you know? There are still many Second Circle wizards outside who have been getting the focus wrong. Yet you, without anyone's reminder, immediately realized the key to the problem right after breaking through."

The Second Circle wizard senior brother's attitude toward Witch Sophia became respectful and awed. He carefully considered his words and asked tentatively, "Sophia, this senior brother may have to cling to your coattails in the future."

Sophia looked at him with surprise, then suddenly seemed to think of something. "Senior brother, isn't our small project team still lacking an assistant? About the proposal to invite that student of mine..."

The Second Circle wizard senior brother shook his head. "Originally this was just a small matter. If you, Sophia, asked me for help, how could I not make an effort? But now it won't work. Sophia, you've been in a colonial plane advancing and breaking through, so you don't know, that vacant assistant position now has someone."

The Second Circle wizard senior brother quickly explained. He was now communicating with Witch Sophia as equals, even actively lowering his own position. "It's not that I didn't reserve the position for him, but even Second Circle wizards have very little say in this laboratory. That assistant position had a relationship with a Second Circle initial-forging stage wizard, so it was taken by them. You know, I'm just an ordinary Second Circle wizard."

Witch Sophia thought for a moment. "Initial-forging, that's the virtual-forging stage... or according to Star Domain Sea's naming conventions, star ring wizards among Second Circle, right?"

"Senior brother, I'm already very grateful to you."

The Second Circle wizard senior brother smiled. "Seeing your separation degree from your Grand Magic is so low, you shouldn't be far from completing the initial forging of Grand Magic and becoming a star ring wizard. You'll soon become a solar ring wizard. Even in the Star Domain Sea, your talent... is exceptional."

"By the way, you don't need to worry about where your student will go. He just joined the Advanced Origin Academy at Golden Crown Mountain in Cloud Marsh Wetland."

"As expected, he won the championship of the Cloud Marsh Cup."

Witch Sophia froze for a moment, then the corners of her mouth curved upward.